Night and the City

Star Review

Night and the City isn’t just one of the great film noirs, it’s also one of the great London films. American Jules Dassin bought an outsider’s eye to our capital, showing both familiar locales like Trafalgar Square and places further off the tourist trail, like bomb sites and seedy Soho drinking clubs.

These last are the natural habitat of low-life Harry Fabian (Widmark) who, like all hustlers, dreams of the big score. He thinks he’s found it in the wrestling racket; but he’s treading on a lot of toes and lady luck doesn’t seem any more fondly disposed to him this time than at any other time in his sorry life.

Dassin does a superb job, deftly sculpting atmosphere and tension. He’s assisted by a stunning performance from his star. Richard Widmark was never better than as Harry, strutting with arrogance one minute, squirming like a maggot the next. He’s the perfect tour guide for this vivid, squalid masterpiece. Those who fancy a peek at the less salubrious side of town should check it out.

James Oliver on 5th September 2007

View all 34 of James Oliver’s reviews

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Film Description

Director Jules Dassin brilliantly fuses two styles of filmmaking, crossing the expressionist lighting and framing of film noir with the almost documentary location shooting he used for The Naked City (1948). As the movie opens, it is night time and small-time hood Harry Fabian (Richard Widmark) is running from almost unseen pursuers. Harry crosses in front of St. Paul's Cathedral, and Dassin shows this familiar tourist sight from a very high angle, then immediately juxtaposes a shot of Harry escaping through bombed-out ruins. While Dassin and director of photography Max Greene shoot exteriors from high angles or from cramped doorways, they shoot interiors from low angles catching their actors against heavily contrasted backgrounds. The result is a movie full of diamond-sharp, angst-ridden visuals.

Night and the City is built round the dynamic febrile performance of Richard Widmark as the constantly scheming, ever-overreaching Harry. Herbert Lom is brilliant as the Greek who ruthlessly controls wrestling in London. Francis L. Sullivan, huge and slow moving, exudes menace as nightclub owner Phil Nosseross. And Googie Withers is very striking as Nosseross's smart but desperate wife.

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DVD Extras

• Interview with director Jules Dassin
• Feature commentary by film noir specialist Paul Duncan
• Short film comparing the US and British versions of the film
• Fully illustrated booklet with essays by Lee Server and Paul Duncan.

Film Details

Cast

Googie Withers, Richard Widmark, Gene Tierney

Technical Details